Powerballs

I got this recipe from the comments on a post over at Money Saving Mom and now I have no idea which post or who posted the comment, but whoevers recipe this is, I am forever grateful! It is the perfect snack! It's so nutritious and super delicious! I love how easy it is to grab on the go, how filling it is and most of all how healthy it is!

Powerballs
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey
3 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup milled flaxseed
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup dried fruit
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Mix peanut butter and honey together until smooth.
2. Gradually add in oats, flaxseed & wheat germ, also stir in any chocolate chips, dried fruits and nuts you choose to add. (we used craisins! raisins, and sliced almonds...very delicious. I think next time I want to try some dried apples too). I think next time I will also add some coconut!
3. Mix gently in stand mixer or by hand (I did this by hand and had no problem getting it all mixed together easily).
4. Roll into ping-pong sized balls.
5. The original recipe says to place in mini muffin cups and the refrigerate overnight but I just rolled them into balls and tossed into a square pan all together because that fit into my fridge much better. We had no problems with them sticking together so I would definitely do it this way again.

Penne with Chicken, Tomato & Two Cheeses

I got this recipe out of a cookbook the company I work for put together many years ago; it was given to me as the company gift when I first started working there. I have yet to try a recipe I didn't like from it. In fact the hot fudge sauce I wrote about before is from this same cookbook. This pasta recipe is very easy although it does take quite a bit of time to cook down so be prepared for that! We had to have a snack while it was cooking because I didn't start it early enough.

Penne with Chicken, Tomatoes and Two Cheese
Serves 4

6 T olive oil
1 1/2 c chopped onion
1 t garlic, minced
3 28oz cans Italian plum tomatoes, drained (I used the diced variety so they didn't need to be drained)
2 t dried basil
1 1/2 t crushed red pepper
3 c low salt chicken broth
1 lb penne pasta
3 chicken breasts, cooked & chopped
2 1/2 c grated Havarti cheese (this is kind of expensive, next time I plan to use Mozzarella)
1/3 c sliced black olives (I omitted these)
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c finely chopped fresh basil (we didn't use this either)

Heat 3 T olive oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion & garlic; saute until onion is translucent.

Mix in tomatoes, dried basil & crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat tol medium; simmer until mixture thickens and is reduced to about 7 cups (no idea how you would know this!) stirring occasionally - about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well. Return pasta to same pot; toss with 3 T olive oil. Stir together pasta and sauce; add chicken and toss to blend. Mix in Havarti cheese. Transfer to 9x13 glass baking dish (mine didn't all fit into a 9x13 pan so I also used a round casserole dish). Sprinkle with olives and then Parmesan cheese.

Bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil.